Murray County, Georgia · Chatsworth
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Murray County averages 6 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to January, and 9% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 16.7 times a year here, most often in February. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Murray County gets about 16.7 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Murray County, 4.85 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
11% of occupied homes in Murray County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Georgia county median of 7.1%.
With 77 muggy nights a year, mold in Murray County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Murray County covers 344 square miles of northwest Georgia, with about 40,562 residents and 16,241 homes. Chatsworth is the county seat; Eton is the next largest community. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1993.
60/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Murray County ranks 36 of 159 Georgia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Murray County ranks highest compared with other Georgia counties.
Murray County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Georgia. From 2015–2024 it averaged 6 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 58 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 9th of 159 counties.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs December to January. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 8 and end around Mar 27.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Georgia. About 16.7 days a year bring an inch or more (8th of 159), most often in February, out of 64.1 inches of total precipitation. On March 26, 2021, 4.85 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 6.86 inches, ending September 28, 2024, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 56 times a year here. They're the main driver of ice dams and of water working its way through foundation cracks in late winter.
Housing
25% of homes in Murray County predate 1980, below the Georgia county median of 38.4%, which ranks 129th of Georgia's 159 counties.
Growth since 2000 added 32% of today's homes. In houses that new, the weak points are washing machine hoses, ice maker lines, water heaters and sump pumps rather than the pipes in the walls.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 43% of the county's homes. If yours is from those decades, look under the sinks and at the water heater for gray plastic pipe stamped PB, which is polybutylene and leak-prone.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 27% of the housing here. Water lines in the underbelly depend on intact skirting and working heat tape, and they're usually the first to freeze in a cold snap.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 77 times a year here, below the Georgia county median of 112. Mold grows when indoor humidity stays above about 60%, the EPA's ceiling. A basement dehumidifier set to 50% and drying anything wet within 24 to 48 hours prevents most problems.
Mold remediation: what to expectMain heating fuel in Murray County's occupied homes: 7% utility gas, 82% electric, 9% propane and 1% wood. Heating equipment, cooking and electrical failures cause most home fires nationally. Even a small kitchen fire can leave soot through the whole house, because smoke follows air currents into closets, ducts and attic space.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Murray County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Fannin and Gilmer get more pipe-freeze nights than Murray. Gordon County has the oldest housing nearby, with 41% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Murray | Georgia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 8.9% | 15% | 122 of 159 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 25% | 38% | 129 of 159 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 32% | 27% | 54 of 159 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 27% | 21% | 57 of 159 |
| Vacant homes | 6.1% | 14% | 144 of 159 |
| Wood or propane heat | 11% | 7.1% | 55 of 159 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 6/yr | 2/yr | 9 of 159 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 17/yr | 12/yr | 8 of 159 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 56/yr | 29/yr | 10 of 159 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 77/yr | 112/yr | 149 of 159 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Georgia county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Murray County: freezing from December to January, heavy rain in February, March and December.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024); weather from NOAA nClimGrid-Daily county averages (EpiNOAA), 2015–2024, averaged across the county; county boundaries from Census TIGER. Reviewed 2026-10-21. Methodology